


Caught in the Middle

by LovelyJehan



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 05:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18242972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyJehan/pseuds/LovelyJehan
Summary: People often assumed, upon hearing the three of them were in a relationship with one another, that Faith slept in the middle, sandwiched between her two men.





	Caught in the Middle

**Author's Note:**

> It started as a drabble and turned into something more, as a result the tone shifts a little.

People often assumed, upon hearing the three of them were in a relationship with one another, that Faith slept in the middle, sandwiched between her two men. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that blind assumption. On one hand, she did have two handsome men at her beck and call. On the other she was ready to defend, in any way necessary, the one who did reside in the middle of the bed. It had been established early on, that Angel and Faith couldn’t sleep soundly without Wesley tucked safely between them. Their fragile human, without slayer or vampire powers. Initially, Wesley had insisted on Faith sleeping in the middle, which was five-by-five with her. At first she thought it was Wesley’s way of making sure she wouldn’t sneak out, but she realised it was Wesley’s way of making sure she knew that both men thought she was capable of being loved. Some voice in the back of her mind wondered if that was part of the reason she had started putting Wesley in the middle. 

It became an unspoken thing between Faith and Angel. After a day (and night’s) worth of work, Angel crawled into bed first, letting Faith and Wesley clean each other’s wounds. Faith had then started sending Wesley to bed, claiming that she needed extra time for ‘women’s business’, sometimes it was true. Other times not so much. Wesley, in those days, had laid on the opposite to Angel, leaving space for Faith in the middle. The human was too tired to protest when Faith, using a small amount of slayer strength, and Angel, using his own vampire enhancements, shifted Wesley to the middle of the bed. Faith crawled in after him, sliding up so that her head was in his chest and Angel’s chest was pressed against Wesley’s back, effectively shielding him from anything that might try to kill them in their sleep. Which had happened more than once. 

It didn’t mean that the middle spot was exclusively Wesley’s though. The all had their demons. Sometimes Faith woke up screaming. The same man she had dreamed about killing, stroked her hair, as Angel reached over and lifted her to the middle as Wesley shuffled to take her vacated spot. Sometimes it was Angel, whose brooding was so loud it kept Wesley awake. He often told Angel he needed a glass of water, which Angel went to get for him only to return to have Wesley standing near the side of the bed, looking at Angel pointedly. Angel would sigh, hand Wesley his water and move to the middle of the bed, where Wesley joined him, tracing soothing patterns on the vampire’s broad chest. Sometimes Angel wouldn’t join them. It made the bed feel cold and empty.

~*~

Wesley knew that Faith and Angel were angry with him. It wasn’t anger so much as being upset, but Wesley’s state of mind was fragile, making it difficult to distinguish between the two. He was on the bedroom floor, his breathing laboured and irregular. He often found that the floor was the best place for a panic attack, it reduced the risk of knocking his head if he passed out due to the hyperventilation. 

Faith and Angel entered the room, looming over him. Wesley scrambled backwards as they approached. The two shared a look and took a tentative step forward. Wesley shuffled back. He kept moving after they had stopped. The closet door had been left open, Wesley realised belatedly as he turned his head and saw one of Faith’s leather boots. He brought his legs up until he could rest his head on his knees. He waited for them to shut the door. To come back and open it again in a few hours. If he was lucky he’d get some bread and water and maybe he’d even be allowed to sleep in the bed with them. 

“Wes,” Angel began, ensuring his voice was soft. “We’re not gonna hurt ya.” 

Wesley shook his head, but did not raise it to meet their eyes. He wasn’t allowed to talk back. He wasn't allowed to cry. 

“C’mon, Wes. Unless you have some sort of shoe fetish I don’t know about.” Faith said, trying to keep her tone light. God she wanted to kill the people that had done this to him, the path of redemption be damned. 

Wesley sniffed. 

“We can't help you if you’re in there, sweetheart.” Angel offered a hand out to Wesley. 

The human looked up at the pet name. Angel rarely used them. Wesley less so. It wasn’t that he thought Wesley to be inferior, there just weren’t any that felt like a good enough fit for Wesley except for ‘Wes’. Faith, on the other hand, _loved_ to use all different pet names for Wesley. They usually went in phases for differing amounts of time depending on how Wesley felt about them. The two that she used most, were baby boy (never mind that Wesley was older than her) and handsome. 

“Come on handsome,” Faith practically stamped her foot. “Let’s go snuggle. I want my Wesley cuddle time and I know Angel does too.”

A smile threatened to break free from Wesley. He forgot just how young she was, for all that she had seen and yet here she was, trying to comfort him. They weren’t going to lock him in the cupboard and leave him there until morning. He crawled out and took Angel’s hand, not expecting to be scooped up and carried to the bed.

“Mine,” Angel growled after he placed Wesley on the bed, looming over him. “Don’t scare me like that again.”

“Possessive much.” Faith looked amused.

Angel growled again and motioned for her to join them. He pulled her into his side. “Mine.”

“We get it, big guy. We’re yours and your ours, et cetera, et cetera.” She rolled her eyes, but smiled down at Wesley.

Wesley looked extremely uncomfortable as he came down from the high of his panic attack. He didn’t like the idea of anyone seeing him like that, let alone Faith and Angel who were already superior to him in more ways than one, despite the fact that he had seen the both of them in all sorts of mental states. 

Angel had bracketed his hands on either side of Wesley, so that he hovered over the other man. He ducked his head into the crook of Wesley’s neck, nuzzling it. _Scenting_ , Wesley realised belatedly. Angel did it fairly often to both him and Faith, something about his smell on them as claim to show other vampires and demons alike that they were very much taken. The thought of being somewhat _owned_ sent shivers down Wesley’s spine. It shouldn’t have that affect. It was a dangerous flaw of his, the need to belong to something. To someone. In times like this he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

Wesley groaned as Angel licked of strip of his neck.

“Some of us want a piece of Wesley, too.” Faith complained.

Angel let out a low growl and reluctantly moved off Wes. They enveloped him on either side.

“Are you okay now?” Faith asked. 

“I’m sorry.” Wesley replied.

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

Wesley shook his head. “No, I meant that I was sorry for scaring you.”

Angel sat up against the headboard and pulled Wesley over to him. “I’m sorry we scared you. I was so worried, seeing you like that.”

“I’m sorry.” Wesley said again.

“It’s not your fault, Wes. Anyone one of us could die any time we go out there. It just got a little too close to being real tonight, okay?” Faith responded, snuggling into Wesley’s side.

Wesley nodded against Angel’s chest. The vampire let out a purr. He didn't allow the noise to escape him often, it wasn’t something non-vampires really understood, but then again, he was dating a Slayer and a Watcher, they understood things more than most. 

“How’re you feeling now?” He asked.

“Better,” Wesley yawned. “And tired.” He closed his eyes as Faith and Angel shifted their positions.

The two humans fell asleep before Angel could say ‘goodnight’. A feeling of love grew in his chest and he hoped that they understood how much he cared for them. It’d be another hour or so before he would be ready to sleep, but he was content to watch over his clan.


End file.
